No Electricity to Coop, Need Solar Option

[PoleFarm]

I normally lug 15 gallons of water to my coops, which are about 200 feet from my nearest spigot...winter time would mean that I would have to do this more frequently. Last year, I ran two 100 feet extension cords, but the local deer herd had a feast chewing on them. So this year I took advantage of the Black Friday sales on Amazon by purchasing two complete solar panel systems. Each have two 100 watt panels, 30A charge controllers, 100 Ah Lithium batteries, and a 600 watt solar inverter. I also have two extra 100Ah lithium batteries, thus giving me 4 batteries to store my needed electricity to power up my numerous heated waterers, fans, lights, and whatever will be needed around my coops. Now, I just need the time to install everything, but will try and post updates so that folks can learn from my success, as well as from my mistakes

I normally lug 15 gallons of water to my coops, which are about 200 feet from my nearest spigot...winter time would mean that I would have to do this more frequently. Last year, I ran two 100 feet extension cords, but the local deer herd had a feast chewing on them. So this year I took advantage of the Black Friday sales on Amazon by purchasing two complete solar panel systems. Each have two 100 watt panels, 30A charge controllers, 100 Ah Lithium batteries, and a 600 watt solar inverter. I also have two extra 100Ah lithium batteries, thus giving me 4 batteries to store my needed electricity to power up my numerous heated waterers, fans, lights, and whatever will be needed around my coops. Now, I just need the time to install everything, but will try and post updates so that folks can learn from my success, as well as from my mistakes.

Please post when you get that all installed and running.

 

[Knobby]

It's been snowing, and now it's been raining in my area, so I have yet the chance to do anything with my setup other than test them out in the sunlight. Will post updates once it's up.

 

[lagrange chicks]

I have a 200 watt solar panel with a solar controller and battery and timer to open and close my auto chicken door. The 1st battery I tried just did not have enough amp hours to keep it operating when the sun didn't come out for over a week in cold conditions. It was a 7.5 amp hours. Now I use a marine/ rv battery and have not had any problems with low charge. It would be interesting to know if it would keep a heated waterier running, my gut feeling is no when the sun not shinning for a week or more. If I would need to put more money into solar to run heaters/ fans and lights (batteries are costly) I see it being cheaper to run underground wire from the house and know I have the power there when needed when the sun is not coming out for days.

 

[Knobby]

I have a 200 watt solar panel with a solar controller and battery and timer to open and close my auto chicken door. The 1st battery I tried just did not have enough amp hours to keep it operating when the sun didn't come out for over a week in cold conditions. It was a 7.5 amp hours. Now I use a marine/ rv battery and have not had any problems with low charge. It would be interesting to know if it would keep a heated waterier running, my gut feeling is no when the sun not shinning for a week or more. If I would need to put more money into solar to run heaters/ fans and lights (batteries are costly) I see it being cheaper to run underground wire from the house and know I have the power there when needed when the sun is not coming out for days.

I tested the solar system...2 100watt panels connected to a 100 Ah LifePO battery and an inverter, just to see how long it would run it before draining the battery and it lasted about 5 hours. Grant it, we are not getting all the sun that is ideal, but it fed my curiosity. As stated, I will have 4 100watt panels connected to 4 100 Ah LifePO batteries, so we'll see how it goes.

I was the opposite, in regards tothe cost of running power to the area with my coops. Being 200 feet from my circuit box, adjusting for power dropoffs during that extended run, I'd be needing to use thicker guage wiring and the cost for the materials alone would have paid for all the solar panel startup kits I bought and then some. Then I'd need to rent a ditch witch, apply for a permit, hire an electrician to assist me...too much hassle.

 

[lagrange chicks]

I tested the solar system...2 100watt panels connected to a 100 Ah LifePO battery and an inverter, just to see how long it would run it before draining the battery and it lasted about 5 hours. Grant it, we are not getting all the sun that is ideal, but it fed my curiosity. As stated, I will have 4 100watt panels connected to 4 100 Ah LifePO batteries, so we'll see how it goes.

I was the opposite, in regards tothe cost of running power to the area with my coops. Being 200 feet from my circuit box, adjusting for power dropoffs during that extended run, I'd be needing to use thicker guage wiring and the cost for the materials alone would have paid for all the solar panel startup kits I bought and then some. Then I'd need to rent a ditch witch, apply for a permit, hire an electrician to assist me...too much hassle.

I started with a 100 watt solar panel and when I had a problem with the 1st battery I bought the 200 watt solar panel thinking it was the panel not producing enough which I was wrong on, just not a big enough battery. I think it really depends on how long you plan on running a solar system in years since batteries don't last forever and the under ground wire would last for a long time. I plan on just continuing just running my solar operated door and carrying water a couple times a day in the winter since we heat only with wood and I need to load the outdoor wood furnace twice a day anyway.

 

[Knobby]

I started with a 100 watt solar panel and when I had a problem with the 1st battery I bought the 200 watt solar panel thinking it was the panel not producing enough which I was wrong on, just not a big enough battery. I think it really depends on how long you plan on running a solar system in years since batteries don't last forever and the under ground wire would last for a long time. I plan on just continuing just running my solar operated door and carrying water a couple times a day in the winter since we heat only with wood and I need to load the outdoor wood furnace twice a day anyway.

I forgot to mention that we have a gasline running diagonally on our property..meaning they had a 50' easement where I couldn't dig and bury wires. That would have cut me about 75 short of the coops.